As of Friday, Cincinnati’s winter shelter still needs $43,000
out of the $75,000 required to open from
late December through February. That means hundreds of homeless people
could be left out in the cold — literally — for at least a month longer
than usual if the shelter doesn’t get more donations. According to
Spring, the goal each night is to shelter 91 people, although the number
can fluctuate depending on the circumstances. For its run between late
2012 and early 2013, the winter shelter housed roughly 600 people, or
about $125 a person. Anyone can donate to the winter shelter — and Drop
Inn Center — at tinyurl.com/WinterShelterCincinnati. To contribute specifically to the winter shelter, type in “winter shelter” in the text box below “Designation (Optional).”

Officials involved with the $133 million streetcar project are considering around-the-clock work
for certain days to speed up delivery of rail and minimize disruptions
at busy streets around Over-the-Rhine. The third shifts would reduce the
time needed to deliver and install rails around Findlay Market and
Liberty Street from one week to a couple days at each location, which
would allow the city to avoid closing down surrounding streets beyond a
weekend or Monday and Tuesday, according to project executive John
Deatrick. He says the extra work is absolutely not related to recent
discussions about canceling the project.

The new school funding formula approved by Republican Gov.
John Kasich and the Republican-controlled General Assembly means
high-minority schools get less state aid
than schools with less diversity. Southwest Ohio’s 10 most diverse
school districts will average $3,837 in state aid per student, while the
10 least diverse districts will average $4,027 per student. The finding
is just the latest controversy for a school funding formula that is
supposed to make state aid to schools more equitable. CityBeat covered some of the prior concerns in further detail here.

Despite Mayor-elect John Cranley’s insistence that the streetcar conversation “is over,” The Cincinnati Enquirercontinues getting messages in support of the project.
Supporters of the streetcar plan to launch a campaign this week to
lobby council members and Cranley to back the project. The campaign will
begin on Thursday with a town hall-style meeting particularly aimed at
stakeholders along the streetcar route. The location and specific time
should be announced later today or tomorrow.

The Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport spent nearly $120,000 since July on coaching and job evaluation services for its board and CEO, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer.
That’s on top of the $140,000 the board spent on travel, conferences
and expensive dinners since 2011. Following the disclosures, local
leaders have called for leadership changes at the board.

Cincinnati-area businesses only have until Nov. 15 to garner enough votes to enter into a competition hosted by Chase Bank that will divide $3 million among 12 small businesses across the country.

The Greater Cincinnati Port Authority’s expansion plans already received approval
from Hamilton, Brown, Adams, Scioto and Boone counties. The plan
expands the Port Authority’s boundaries from 26 miles to 205 miles along
the Ohio River, which the Port says will make the agency more
attractive to businesses.

At least 41 percent of 1,600 new apartments in and near downtown are receiving aid from the city of Cincinnati.
City officials say the aid helps continue Cincinnati’s economic
momentum and urban revitalization. But critics say more aid should go to low-income housing and other Cincinnati neighborhoods.

Project executive says third shift would help minimize disruptions to public and traffic

Officials working on the $133 million streetcar project
are considering taking up extra shifts to speed up delivery of new
rail and minimize disruptions caused by construction, project executive
John Deatrick told CityBeat on Friday.

If it goes as planned, the extra shifts would reduce the
time needed to deliver and install rails around Findlay Market and
Liberty Street from one week to a couple days at each location. That would allow the city
to avoid closing down surrounding streets for more than a weekend or a
Monday and Tuesday, according to Deatrick.

“The main reason isn’t to speed it up,” he says. “The main
reason is it would minimize the impact on the motoring public, walking
public and biking public.”

Deatrick insists the move is absolutely not related to
recent election results that have called the project’s survival into
question.

One of Mayor-elect John Cranley’s top priorities upon
taking office in December is canceling the streetcar project, which he
says isn’t worth the cost and the wrong priority for Cincinnati. He says
the outgoing city administration is continuing construction of the
streetcar in “a political manner” and running up the bill to make
canceling the project more difficult.

But Deatrick claims the 24-hour shifts won’t add much in
the way of new costs. He says contractors currently bill the city about
$1.5 million each month and that should continue into the future.

As of September, the city had already spent $23 million
and contractually obligated another $94 million to the project. The
obligations, along with the threat of litigation from contractors
involved in the project and taxpayers and businesses along the streetcar
track, have raised concerns about how much canceling the project would cost — and whether it’s even financially prudent at this point.

A small group of Over-the-Rhine homeowners is preparing for a possible lawsuit and other actions
should Mayor-elect John Cranley try to cancel the $133 million
streetcar project. Ryan Messer says the fight is about protecting his
family’s investment along the streetcar route. Streetcar supporters plan
to host a town hall-style meeting in the coming weeks to discuss
possible actions to keep the project on track, including a referendum
effort on any legislation that halts construction of the ongoing
project. While Cranley says canceling the streetcar is at the top of the agenda, questions remain about how much it would cost to cancel the project, as CityBeat covered in further detail here and here.

As Cincinnati debates canceling the streetcar project, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) is evaluating transit systems around the state
to encourage more efficiency and cost effectiveness. The agency is
particularly focused on how different transit services are dealing with
rising demand and shrinking budgets. But if that’s the case, ODOT might
carry some of the blame: When Gov. John Kasich took office, ODOT’s
Transportation Review Advisory Council pulled $52 million from the
Cincinnati streetcar project despite previously scoring the streetcar
the highest among Ohio’s transportation projects. The Kasich
administration also refused $400 million in federal funding for a
statewide passenger light rail system, and the money ended up going to
California and other states that took on light rail projects.

Cranley’s other major campaign promise is to stop the
city’s plan to lease its parking meters, lots and garages to the Greater
Cincinnati Port Authority, but the Port intends to finalize the lease by the end of the month — before Cranley takes office in December — by selling bonds that will finance the deal. The outgoing city administration pushed the parking plan through City Council in a matter of months for an upfront payment of $92 million. But following unsuccessful litigation and a due diligence process, the Port Authority cut the payment to $85 million,
and the city is now responsible for paying $14-$15 million to build a
new parking garage that the Port was originally supposed to finance
under the deal. Cranley and other opponents of the parking plan say it
gives up too much control over the city’s parking assets, while
supporters argue it’s necessary to modernize the assets and help fund
economic development projects.

Several of Cincinnati’s power brokers and building owners are working on a plan
that would create a retail corridor in the city’s center and hopefully
keep Saks Fifth Avenue in the city. Some of the efforts apparently
involve financial incentives from the city, according to details
provided to the Business Courier.

The Hamilton County Association of Chiefs of Police released a report outlining stricter guidelines for Taser use.
Attorney Al Gerhardstein, who has led lawsuits on behalf of families
who lost loved ones after they were Tased, told WVXU he’s encouraged by
the report, but he said he would also require annual tests of the
devices and a ban on chest shots.

The Cincinnati branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations is filing a federal complaint
against the DHL Global Mail facility in Hebron, Ky., after DHL
allegedly fired 24 of its employees on Oct. 9 in a dispute over prayer
breaks.

The Cincinnati Gay and Lesbian Center plans to close its physical space,
but it’s sticking around as a virtual organization and will continue
hosting Pride Night at Kings Island. A letter from the center’s board of
directors stated that the transition was based on a need to “evolve
with the times.”

The U.S. Senate passed a bill
that would ban discrimination against gay and transgendered workers,
but the bill’s chances are grim in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Both Ohio senators — Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican Rob Portman —
voted in favor of the Senate bill. CityBeat previously covered efforts in Ohio to pass workplace protections for LGBT individuals here.

Watch a homeless veteran’s aesthetic transformation, which apparently helped push his life forward:

Study looks at rising demand and shrinking budgets

While Cincinnati’s $133 million streetcar project remains in limbo,
the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) is taking a deep look at
the state’s existing transit systems to encourage more efficiency and cost
effectiveness.

Specifically, ODOT says the “Ohio Statewide Transit Needs Study” is
necessary to evaluate the performance of different transit systems around the state as
demand grows and budgets shrink.

“Travel trends show that there is a definite rise in the
need for convenient, affordable public transportation to jobs, medical
appointments, shopping and recreational activities. Our transit agencies
are struggling to fund this existing service, let alone meet the
increased demand,” ODOT’s website states.

Starting the last week of October, ODOT began sending out
rider surveys to people who use transit services to collect
their thoughts on current services and input on possible improvements. The surveys are being conducted with the help of 61
transit agencies around Ohio, and ODOT expects to complete them in
mid-November.

“The rider survey is just the first step of our public
outreach and technical effort,” said Marianne Freed, administrator of
ODOT’s Office of Transit, in a statement. “Our goal is to evaluate the
unique transportation needs for communities statewide, whether it’s a
large city or a rural county.”

The ultimate goal, according to ODOT, is “to develop a
long-term strategy to determine how to best stretch limited dollars
while meeting the demands of Ohio’s riders today and in the future.”

It was ODOT’s Transportation Review Advisory Council
that pulled $52 million in federal funding from the streetcar
project once Gov. John Kasich came into office, even though the project
previously received the highest score among transportation
projects in the state. The massive cut forced local officials to scale
back the original streetcar line and seek other federal funds.

Kasich also declined $400 million in federal funds for the
3C passenger rail line, which would have connected Cincinnati, Dayton,
Columbus and Cleveland. The federal funds ended up going to California
and other states that embraced light rail, The Plain Dealerpreviously reported.

If the streetcar project is canceled, it wouldn’t be the
first time Cincinnati gave up on a new transit system in the middle of
construction. The city also pulled out of building a subway system in
the 1920s. The defunct subway tunnels now serve as a tourist attraction.

The subway failure and political threats to the streetcar
project are two of the reasons Urbanophile, a national urbanist blog,
described Cincinnati’s culture as “one of smug self-regard and
self-sabotage” in a blog post on Thursday.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Mayor-elect John Cranley denied that Cincinnati holds an anti-transit mentality. Cranley pointed out that local voters in the 1970s decided to increase their earnings tax to support the Metro bus system. He says it comes down to weighing the costs and benefits.

Mayor-elect John Cranley laid out his plans and priorities for his first term
at his first press conference yesterday. Cranley says two of his top
priorities are undoing the $133 million streetcar project and parking
plan, which would lease the city’s parking meters, lots and garages to
the Greater Cincinnati Port Authority. He also spoke on some of his more
positive ideas, including the interchange project at Interstate 71 and
Martin Luther King Drive, 3CDC-style public-private partnerships to
revitalize neighborhoods and development of the Wasson Way bike trail,
old Swifton Commons and Westwood Square.

It remains unclear
how much it would cost to actually cancel the streetcar project. As of September’s monthly
progress report, $94 million is tied to contractual obligations, $23
million is already spent and nearly $45 million in federal grants is still attached
to the project. And if contractors, subcontractors and taxpayers sue the
city to complete the project, it could impose litigation costs on the
operating budget instead of the capital budget currently financing
construction. Supporters of the streetcar also say cancellation could
tarnish relationships with the federal government and contractors, which
have a stake in the project’s completion. At his press conference
yesterday, Cranley said he’d weigh the costs and benefits of
cancellation and would continue the project if he deems it cheaper.

Meanwhile, Cranley might travel to Washington, D.C., to discuss reprogramming nearly $45 million in federal grants
from the streetcar project to the I-71/MLK interchange project. In a
June 19 letter, the U.S. Department of Transportation claimed it would
take back nearly $41 million of the grant money if the streetcar project
were canceled. City officials say they’ve already spent $2 million from
the grants on the streetcar project, and, according to city spokesperson Meg Olberding, that would
need to be repaid through the operating budget if the project were terminated.

Gov. John Kasich and the Ohio legislature passed a bill
that imposes new restrictions on minor political parties trying to get on the
state ballot. The requirements force minor parties to meet higher
petition signature and voting thresholds to get and remain on the
ballot. Ohio Libertarians say they plan to sue to block the changes from
becoming law in 90 days. Democrats and minor parties say the changes
are meant to protect Kasich’s chances of re-election in 2014; they argue
that, without the new requirements, tea party challengers upset with
Kasich over his support for the federally funded Medicaid expansion could take away enough votes and spoil the election in favor of a Democrat. CityBeat covered the Senate version of the bill in further detail here.

Hamilton County commissioners yesterday unanimously approved
the first budget in six years that didn’t require major cuts or revenue
increases to achieve balance, but the budget also had very little in
terms of new policies. Commissioners also approved a separate plan from
the Port Authority, a city- and county-funded development agency, to
expand its borders; the Port now needs to work out agreements with other
jurisdictions before the expansion becomes official.

Janitors in Cincinnati are striking against New York City-based ABM
in a push for wage hikes and health benefits. In supporting the
efforts, Councilman Chris Seelbach says the strike and media attention
surrounding it should hopefully put pressure on Cincinnati’s Fortune 500
companies that hire ABM to clean their buildings.

After only 28.8 percent of registered Cincinnati voters participated in the mayoral and City Council elections, The Cincinnati Enquirerasked those who didn’t show up to vote to explain themselves.
The answers ranged from total apathy toward the streetcar project to
disdain and distrust for the city’s government and political system.

Mayor-elect John Cranley invited reporters to his home in Mt. Lookout on
Wednesday to discuss his plan and priorities for his first term as
mayor of Cincinnati.

Cranley claims the invitation to his house represents the
kind of accessible, transparent leadership he’ll take up when he begins
his term on Dec. 1.

Speaking on his immediate priorities, Cranley says he
already contacted the nine newly elected council members and intends to build
more collaboration with all sides of the aisle, which will include a mix
of five Democrats, two Republicans, one Charterite and one Independent
starting in December.

One of Cranley’s top priorities is to cancel the $133
million streetcar project, which Cranley and six newly elected council members
oppose. He also argues that the city should stop spending on ongoing
construction for the project.

“Seriously, look at who got elected yesterday. At some
point, this is a democracy. We shouldn’t be agitating voters like this,”
Cranley says. “Let’s not keep spending money when it looks like the
clear majority and the clear mandate of yesterday’s election was going
in a different direction.”

But in response to recent reports
that canceling the streetcar project could carry its own set of unknown
costs, he says he will weigh the costs and benefits before making a
final decision. If the cost of cancellation is too high, Cranley
acknowledges he would pull back his opposition to the project.

Canceling the streetcar project would also require an ordinance from City Council.

Mike Moroski, who on Tuesday lost in his bid for a council seat, already announced on Twitter
that he’s gathering petition signatures for a referendum to prevent the project’s cancellation.

Cranley promises he won’t stop a referendum effort by
placing an emergency clause on an ordinance that cancels the project, but he expressed doubt that a referendum would succeed.

On the current city administration’s plan to lease the
city’s parking meters, lots and garages to the Greater Cincinnati Port
Authority, Cranley says he will work with fellow lawyers David Mann and
Kevin Flynn, both of who won seats for council on Tuesday, to find a
way to cancel the deal.

But that could prove tricky with the lease agreement
already signed by the city and Port Authority, especially as the Port
works to sell bonds — perhaps before Cranley takes office — to finance
the deal and the $85 million payment the city will receive as a result.

Cranley also promises to make various development projects
his top priority, particularly the interchange for Interstate 71 and
Martin Luther King Drive. He says he will lobby White House officials to
re-appropriate nearly $45 million in federal grant money for the streetcar project to
the interchange project, even though the U.S. Department of
Transportation told the city in a June 19 letter that it would take back
nearly $41 million of its grant money if the streetcar project were
canceled.

Cranley vows he will also work with local businesses to
leverage public and private dollars to spur investment in Cincinnati’s
neighborhoods — similar to what the city did with Over-the-Rhine and
downtown by working with 3CDC (Cincinnati Center City Development
Corporation).

“We want to have some big early wins,” Cranley says. “We
want to get moving within a year on the Wasson Way bike trail, see
significant progress at the old Swifton Commons and see Westwood Square
developed.”

He adds, “And we intend to reverse the one-trash-can
policy, which I think is a horrible policy. … There have been several
stories about illegal dumping that have resulted from that.”

Cincinnati’s pension system and its $862-million-plus
unfunded liability also remain a top concern for city officials. Cranley
says he will tap Councilman Chris Smitherman to help bring costs in
line, but no specifics on a plan were given.

City officials on Wednesday reasserted that it remains
unknown how much it would cost to cancel the $133 million streetcar
project, and city spokesperson Meg Olberding and project
executive John Deatrick agreed the unknown costs are a big concern.

Voters on Tuesday elected John Cranley to the mayor’s office
and six council members — out of nine total — who oppose the streetcar
project, giving streetcar opponents enough votes to cancel the project
once the new government takes power on Dec. 1.

But, as first reported by CityBeat on Oct. 9,
cancellation could carry all sorts of costs with $94 million tied to
contractual obligations, including supply orders and other expenses
from contractors and subcontractors, and $23 million already
sunk on the project.

If the city were to cancel, it would also need to return
nearly $41 million in grants to the federal government, according to a
June 19 letter from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Canceling the project would cost jobs as well. About 150
laborers are currently working on the project, according to Deatrick. He
says there’s also management positions involved, but he couldn’t offer
an estimate for those jobs and whether they’re working on the project
full- or part-time.

Deatrick says that it’s difficult to pin down how much
cancellation would ultimately cost because the issue would likely
be worked through litigation as the city tries to minimize cancellation
costs and developers — such as Messer Construction, Prus Construction,
Delta Railroad and CAF USA — attempt to maximize what they recoup from the
project.

Another concern, according to Olberding, is cancellation’s impact on the operating budget. She says the roughly
$2 million in federal grant money already spent on the project would have
to come out of the operating budget, and litigation costs would come from the operating budget as well.

The capital budget, which is financed through bonds and
other forms of debt, pays for capital projects like the streetcar. The
operating budget typically goes toward day-to-day operations, including
police, firefighters and human services.

The operating budget has been structurally imbalanced
since 2001. If millions in litigation costs and repayments to the
federal government are added to it, the city could be forced to cut services and jobs or raise taxes.

There are also concerns about how the federal government and
Cincinnati’s business partners would react to the cancellation of such a
major project. Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls, Cranley’s opponent in the
mayoral race, previously told CityBeat that pulling back on a
commitment could break the faith developers and the feds placed in
Cincinnati when they agreed to take on the streetcar project.

Cranley and other anti-streetcar elects argue the long-term costs — the $88 million in the capital budget for the current
phase of the project, the cost of future expansion and $3-4 million that
it would cost to operate the streetcar annually — outweigh even the
costs of cancellation.

Cranley previously told CityBeat that he would help developers involved in the project find other work in the
city to recoup the revenue lost from the project’s cancellation. He says
Messer and Prus in particular are based in and already work heavily in
Cincinnati, so it’s unlikely they would try to cut ties with the city.

Streetcar supporters aren’t convinced. If the city pulls out of such a
big commitment, officials argue both the federal government and
developers could be compelled to look for a more reliable source for
future work.

Meanwhile, Deatrick says current construction work is
progressing on time and within budget. He expects the track on Elm Street to
be laid down between 12th and Henry streets by the end of the year.

As for the next phase of the project, Deatrick says
there’s still no estimated cost. He attributes much of the project’s current
political problems to construction bids coming in over budget earlier in
the year — a turn of events that led City Council to put another $17.5
million to the streetcar project — so he says the city needs to be
really careful with future estimates if it decides to expand the
streetcar system.

Despite the fresh political threats, the city still
intends to conduct meetings with businesses on Nov. 14 and 18 about the
benefits of the streetcar. Deatrick says those meetings should show the
economic benefits of the rail line that go beyond the streetcar’s use as
a transit network.

Supporters of the streetcar often point to those benefits as
their reasoning for backing the project. Citing a 2007 study from
consulting firm HDR that was later evaluated and supported by the
University of Cincinnati, supporters say the streetcar project would produce a three-to-one return on investment.

Deatrick acknowledges those projections are now outdated,
given all the changes the project has gone through since 2007. He says
the city has people working on updating the numbers and looking at
other economic effects the HDR study may have missed.

But opponents of the streetcar project say it’s simply too
expensive and the wrong priority for Cincinnati. Still, the potentially
high cost of cancellation could prove a bigger fiscal concern.

Either way, Cincinnati should find out the full consequences to the project in December.

With Election Day tomorrow, today is the last chance to vote early. Find your voting location here.
Normal voting hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., although some days are
extended. If you don’t vote early, you can still vote on Election Day
(Nov. 5). Check out CityBeat’s coverage and endorsements for the 2013 election here.

Judge Timothy Black ruled to continue
with a lawsuit that will decide whether same-sex marriages conducted in
other states should be acknowledged on Ohio’s death certificates. The
lawsuit originally appeared to matter only to a Cincinnati gay couple, but it’s been expanded to potentially reflect on the
rights of all gay couples in the state. Black is expected to give his
final ruling on the lawsuit in December. If Black rules in favor of
same-sex couples, it could be the latest step forward in an ongoing line
of progress for LGBT rights. Although same-sex marriage remains illegal
in Ohio, gay couples can now jointly file for federal taxes.

Local officials plan to host two workshops
to show business owners how the streetcar could benefit them. The
workshops are set for Nov. 14 at 10 a.m. and Nov. 18 at 6 p.m. Both will
be held on the third floor of the Public Library of Cincinnati and
Hamilton County at 800 Vine Street, downtown Cincinnati. Anyone interested can sign up here.

First streetcar tracks set, homeless to sue county, Medicaid expansion expected to pass

Early voting for the 2013 City Council and mayoral elections is now underway. Find your voting location here. Normal voting hours will be 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., although some days will be extended.

Cincinnati yesterday laid down the first two streetcar tracks,
putting the project on a clear path to completion after years of
financial and political hurdles. The $133 million project is now
expected to continue its construction phase over the next three years, with a goal
of opening to the public on Sept. 15, 2016. City officials, including
Mayor Mark Mallory and City Manager Milton Dohoney, celebrated the
milestone and thanked supporters for remaining committed to the project. Meanwhile, former
Councilman John Cranley, a streetcar opponent who’s running for mayor against
streetcar supporter Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls, criticized the city for
laying down the tracks instead of delaying the project until a new mayor
takes office in December. Cranley insists that he’ll cancel the project
if he takes office, even though roughly half a mile of track will be
laid out by then and, because of contractual obligations and federal
money tied to the project, canceling the project at this point could cost millions more than completing it.

The Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition yesterday announced it’s suing the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department
over a new policy that attempts to remove homeless people from
courthouse steps with the threat of arrest. The sheriff’s office says it
still intends to redirect homeless people to housing and other
services, but it told WVXU that clearing out the courthouse is necessary
to invoke a “type of immediacy” to encourage homeless residents “to
seek housing and a better situation.” Advocates call the policy
dangerous and unfair. A press conference will be held later today to
discuss the lawsuit.

State Senate President Keith Faber says he expects Gov.
John Kasich’s proposal for a two-year, federally funded Medicaid
expansion to gain approval from a seven-member legislative oversight panel
known as the Controlling Board. Faber, a Republican who opposes the
expansion, says it’s now time for the legislature to consider broader
reforms for Medicaid, which provides health insurance to low-income and
disabled Ohioans. After months of wrangling with legislators in his own
political party to approve the expansion, Kasich, a Republican, on
Friday announced he would bypass the legislature
and instead ask the Controlling Board to approve federal funds to
expand Medicaid eligibility to more low-income Ohioans for two years.
The Health Policy Institute of Ohio previously found the expansion would generate $1.8 billion for Ohio and insure nearly half a million Ohioans over the next decade.

Mayor Mallory says the Millenium Hotel’s owners agreed to conduct a feasibility study to see what kind of renovations the market will support for the hotel. Mallory told The Cincinnati Enquirer that the agreement is the first sign of progress since discussions about overhauling the shabby hotel began.

To tackle concerns about second-hand smoking, one state senator proposed a bill
that would ban smoking in a car when a young child is present. It’s the
second time in two years State Sen. Charleta Tavares (D-Columbus)
introduced the bill.

Allegiant Air will offer low fares
to fly to Florida from Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International
Airport (CVG), ending months of speculation over whether the airline
would pick CVG or Lunken Airport.

A state audit released on Tuesday found a local water worker was paid $437 in 2001 for work that wasn’t done.

Project moves forward despite political and financial hurdles

Standing in front of roughly 40 supporters, city leaders gave the order on Tuesday to lay down the first two streetcar tracks.

The milestone has been years in the making for the $133
million streetcar project — ever since City Council approved the streetcar plan in 2008 and the project broke ground in February 2012.

“This is another great day in our great city,” proclaimed Mayor Mark Mallory, a major proponent of the streetcar. “This is the project that will not stop.”

Political and financial hurdles snared the massive project in the past five years, but city officials say the construction phase is so far within budget and on time, putting it on track to open to the public on Sept. 15, 2016.

Until then, City Manager Milton Dohoney
asked for patience as construction progresses.

But not everyone was happy with the milestone. Ex-Councilman John
Cranley, a streetcar opponent who’s running for mayor against streetcar
supporter Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls, criticized the city for not
delaying the project until a new mayor takes office in December.

“The streetcar has been a bad idea and a bad deal for the
people of Cincinnati from the beginning,” Cranley said in a statement.
“To lay track for a project that can’t be completed for three years
right before an election that will serve as a referendum on the project
is a slap in face to the voters.”

Multiple streetcar supporters at the event told CityBeat
that Cranley’s demands are ridiculous. They say that delaying a project
with contractual obligations and deadlines for two months because of a
political campaign would cripple the city’s ability to take on future
projects as weary contractors question the city’s commitments.

Streetcar supporters back the project as both another
option for public transit and an economic development driver. Previous
studies from consulting firm HDR and the University of Cincinnati found
the Over-the-Rhine and downtown loop will produce a three-to-one return on
investment.

Opponents say the project is too costly. They argue the
project forced the city to raise property taxes and forgo other capital
projects, such as the interchange at Interstate 75 and Martin Luther
King Drive.

The project already went through two referendums in 2009 and 2011
in which voters effectively approved the streetcar.

Gov. John Kasich
pulled $52 million in federal funds from the project in 2011 after he won the 2010
gubernatorial election against former Gov. Ted Strickland, whose administration
allocated the money to the streetcar.

Earlier in 2013, City Council closed a $17.4 million
budget gap after construction bids for the project came in higher than
expected.

Despite the hurdles, city leaders remain committed to the project. They estimate the first section of the track —
on Elm Street between 12th and Henry streets — will be finished in
January 2014.